Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Wetherspoons is unfairly maligned, it provides okay meals on a budget for when people are out and about with a good pint of bitter. It saved me a lot when I was at uni on a budget and there's a lot of remainer snobbishness about it since Brexit.
I think attitudes are slowly changing towards it, at least a bit, as the cost of restaurant meals creeps steadily upwards. It bears repeating that dining out nowadays is an expensive experience, and sometimes all people want is the ability to leave the house and sit somewhere and have food made for them and perhaps have a drink or two. Im not suggesting it’s somewhere you’d go for a treat, but it fills a gap in the market.
Clearly fills a gap. Wetherspoons has to be easily one of the most successful start-ups of the last thirty years or so. Astonishing level of business success for all the moaning.
At least someone seems to know how to keep pub culture alive.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Wetherspoons is the McDonald’s of pubs. It’s not brilliant, but you know it’s going to be okay and you’ll get good value for money.
In pretty much any town, the cheapest pub is always going to be a focus for those who society has mostly left behind.
In a beer desert, such as many towns in the West of Scotland, spoons is the only place that sells a decent pint.
I assume the beer desert extends to the far Northwest. I’m off on my long weekend to Assynt in a few days. Shall stock up on drinks at the supermarket in Inverness rather than relying on the pubs of Lochinver.
AFAIK the nearest real ale to Lochinver is the Inchnanamph Hotel. You may wish to check this link. https://camra.org.uk/pubs If you’re buying beer in Inverness, I recommend Cromarty.
Famous to anyone with an interest in geology and scenery!
Is Starmer in trouble over this voice coach thing?
I've looked a couple of times today to see why Keir Starmer was trending on TwiX, and this is the story but it's a bit of a stretch and the papers don't seem interested.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
If Canada is confused about what he wants it will limit his ability to get it, so I'd question the effectiveness of the tactic if it is just a ploy.
Plus events can easily spiral out of control when things get so emotive.
And finally, it may be Trump is a secret genius and he acts crazy as a tactic, but it is a bit too ubiquitous and in line with his overall personality for me to think that is very plausible. It seems more likely that he means what he says, even though he frequently gets confused and contradictory on policy detail.
Reform will not break the glass ceiling and achieve wider popularity as long as Farage is still a possible future PM. Indeed I would suggest this is the Reform conundrum. They need Farage to get to 25% plus but he actively stops them getting past 35% plus.
Interesting reasoning, and I think there's something to it. Greatest strengths can also be greatest weaknesses, at least to further ambitions.
Musk is on record as identifying himself as “English” - not South African or American. He deems himself as ethnically English
Vance is an old English surname
We have here the most pro-British presidency in many decades. We should exploit it and bring their revolution home
total bollox, nobody can deal with a llying madman.
If Trump is such a massive Anglophile why did he buy golf courses in Scotland? Saves the English from having him and his rsole family around I suppose.
Is Starmer in trouble over this voice coach thing?
I've looked a couple of times today to see why Keir Starmer was trending on TwiX, and this is the story but it's a bit of a stretch and the papers don't seem interested.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
Maybe he is just learning?
At the age of fifteen Doug and Dinsdale started attending the Ernest Pythagoras Primary School in Clerkenwell. When the Piranhas left school they were called up but were found by an Army Board to be too unstable even for National Service.
Denied the opportunity to use their talents in the service of their country, they began to operate what they called 'The Operation'... They would select a victim and then threaten to beat him up if he paid the so-called protection money.
Four months later they started another operation which the called 'The Other Operation'. In this racket they selected another victim and threatened not to beat him up if he didn't pay them.
One month later they hit upon 'The Other Other Operation'. In this the victim was threatened that if he didn't pay them, they would beat him up. This for the Piranha brothers was the turning point.
Is Starmer in trouble over this voice coach thing?
I've looked a couple of times today to see why Keir Starmer was trending on TwiX, and this is the story but it's a bit of a stretch and the papers don't seem interested.
I thought the heat was coming from The Sun?
Maybe but I think at the time they were following not leading this story. The Mail and Indy had it.
The voice coach was described as a key worker, which makes it legal, and Starmer is a lawyer and not a politician so that is all that matters, but as we saw with Partygate and Kormagate, he probably has a point.
It's within the rules so he can't be brought down by procedural means. The parliamentary arithmetic means the Opposition can't touch him. It is hard to see it taking off with the public because nothing else has.
The Times' new story about Lord Alli (posted earlier) is more interesting if it becomes a slow burner (and on the back of earlier freebies and the solar farm guy).
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
Y. Pestis is probably going to make a complaint about that post.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
If Canada is confused about what he wants it will limit his ability to get it, so I'd question the effectiveness of the tactic if it is just a ploy.
Plus events can easily spiral out of control when things get so emotive.
And finally, it may be Trump is a secret genius and he acts crazy as a tactic, but it is a bit too ubiquitous and in line with his overall personality for me to think that is very plausible. It seems more likely that he means what he says, even though he frequently gets confused and contradictory on policy detail.
If it were a brilliant tactic, I'd expect to have seen a payoff of Trump having a string of genuinely successful businesses behind him.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
It's a shame we can't join Canada. Pigeons, meet cat.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
I assume Trump came from the school of thought that you should be mean to a girl you secretly like.
What we are witnessing is high school bully tactics playing themselves out on the global political stage.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
How do you plan to make the bun all soggy?
How do you recreate the pervasive smell of horse manure with a hint of vomit?
Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.
Bad for Labour, but they can cling to swingback and having some control of the timeframe of the game.
But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.
(The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
Musk is on record as identifying himself as “English” - not South African or American. He deems himself as ethnically English
Vance is an old English surname
We have here the most pro-British presidency in many decades. We should exploit it and bring their revolution home
total bollox, nobody can deal with a llying madman.
If Trump is such a massive Anglophile why did he buy golf courses in Scotland? Saves the English from having him and his rsole family around I suppose.
It's Scotland's fault that he's triggered by windmills.
They built a whole farm of them next to his golf course.
I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination? And people wonder why there is a backlash.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
CANDU reactors make Tritium in hilarious quantities...
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
SIR Keir Starmer beat a hasty retreat from questions over claims his voice coach broke the law to train him during lockdown.
Confronted by The Sun in Brussels, the PM said "of course not" when asked if he had broken the rules but quickly exited a NATO press conference to avoid further scrutiny.
He muttered "all the rules were followed" as he made for the door amid a barrage of questions from journalists.
Of course he wasn't ambushed by a cake. he was ambushed by a Pincher.
I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination? And people wonder why there is a backlash.
This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
So Keir could have a voice coaching key worker while other people were banned from going to family funerals, and he voted to extend this state of affairs every single time
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Wetherspoons is unfairly maligned, it provides okay meals on a budget for when people are out and about with a good pint of bitter. It saved me a lot when I was at uni on a budget and there's a lot of remainer snobbishness about it since Brexit.
I think attitudes are slowly changing towards it, at least a bit, as the cost of restaurant meals creeps steadily upwards. It bears repeating that dining out nowadays is an expensive experience, and sometimes all people want is the ability to leave the house and sit somewhere and have food made for them and perhaps have a drink or two. Im not suggesting it’s somewhere you’d go for a treat, but it fills a gap in the market.
Clearly fills a gap. Wetherspoons has to be easily one of the most successful start-ups of the last thirty years or so. Astonishing level of business success for all the moaning.
At least someone seems to know how to keep pub culture alive.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Is that not the Yank version?
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
tbh I only know it from Only Connect a few weeks back.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination? And people wonder why there is a backlash.
This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
There used to be a thing called Hay Job Evaluation. Don't know if it is still used.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
Yup
Trump is sitting at the front of the DLR with a toy steering wheel...
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
Most countries get nervous when their neighbours mass troops at the border. Trump calls it a win.
Musk seems to be running the kind of show that Cummings wanted. A load of computer misfits and weirds and high functioning but just bonkers types are getting to run or indeed simply close down the federal government.
I just cannot believe that Cummings isn't involved somehow here.
Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.
Bad for Labour, but they can cling to swingback and having some control of the timeframe of the game.
But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.
(The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
I think that is reflected in the polling. It's not that Reform are doing particularly well, it is that the other parties are doing so horrendously badly. So Farage being in or out of the news doesn't matter as much as perhaps it might under normal circumstances. What matters is that Starmer and Badenoch are doing so horrendously.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
Mexico promising troops is as empty a gesture as you can get. They are a barely functioning state.
Canada and Denmark share a 1.2 km long land border on Hans Island since we ended the Whisky War in 2022. So technically we could join the European Union. https://x.com/CraigBaird/status/1886136938564030793
Greenland left the EU in 1985 !
It's an "overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union".
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Canada has never wanted to be incorporated into the US - not in the 1840s when there was a serious campaign in the US to invade its northern neighbour, and not now.
Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.
Bad for Labour, but they can cling to swingback and having some control of the timeframe of the game.
But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.
(The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
I think that is reflected in the polling. It's not that Reform are doing particularly well, it is that the other parties are doing so horrendously badly. So Farage being in or out of the news doesn't matter as much as perhaps it might under normal circumstances. What matters is that Starmer and Badenoch are doing so horrendously.
As ever John Harris is on the money as he continues to get the fuck out of Westminsters curry houses and bars and actually look at his own country in flux.
Think Trumpism couldn’t take root and flourish in Britain? Think again
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
I'm not sure Mexico did cave, as apparently Mexico "deployed" 15,000 troops to the border in 2019. I suspect that the Mexican government says things to shut up Trump, and maybe make a show of moving some troops around in front of some TV cameras, and then go back to whatever it was they were doing before.
Most countries get nervous when their neighbours mass troops at the border. Trump calls it a win.
hasn't Trump massed a load of US military on their side of border in last few days.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Is that not the Yank version?
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Musk seems to be running the kind of show that Cummings wanted. A load of computer misfits and weirds and high functioning but just bonkers types are getting to run or indeed simply close down the federal government.
I just cannot believe that Cummings isn't involved somehow here.
In his dreams. He's a has been, and even then only briefly 'been' at all.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
"We don't need them for energy" - Trump
See Sky's Ed Conway for a complete take down of that bollocks.
How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
Maybe what he wants is for them to become the 51st state?
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
The potential synergies are obvious, but rather complicated by the fact that (a) the Canadians have never wanted to be Yanks regardless, and (b) their crackpot southern neighbours are presently doing their best to make themselves about as popular as the Black Death in Canada. As a strategy for making friends and influencing people, it turns out that punitive tariffs and inviting your neighbour to submit to your unhinged rule is somewhat sub-optimal.
As Ukraine has found to its cost, not having nuclear weapons when facing a mad superpower is a big handicap. Canada should nuke up fast.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Canada and Denmark share a 1.2 km long land border on Hans Island since we ended the Whisky War in 2022. So technically we could join the European Union. https://x.com/CraigBaird/status/1886136938564030793
Greenland left the EU in 1985 !
It's an "overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union".
I am not sure what that means.
Good luck with getting Canada in the CAP.
There are three cases where a large territory left the EU: Algeria, Greenland and the UK.
There have been two other withdrawals, one of which is also very close to Canada: Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Saint Barthélemy.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
I would exclude both Quebec and Puerto Rico from my fantasy Anglospheric Federation. Let them go their own way.
I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination? And people wonder why there is a backlash.
This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
We have case law since the 1970s about it, I think.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
Canada has never wanted to be incorporated into the US - not in the 1840s when there was a serious campaign in the US to invade its northern neighbour, and not now.
How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.
It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Is that not the Yank version?
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
When I learned it (mid-late 80s), that one was the first verse and the second verse was:
A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King
Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Is that not the Yank version?
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
tbh I only know it from Only Connect a few weeks back.
Heh. No more Jubilee Pancakes for 99p.
My cousin the music teacher in a primary school used to sing it at me in the early 1990s to wind me up.
I am currently getting my revenge via reference to her tautological dog the ShihT-Poo.
Musk is on record as identifying himself as “English” - not South African or American. He deems himself as ethnically English
Vance is an old English surname
We have here the most pro-British presidency in many decades. We should exploit it and bring their revolution home
I think you are making a fundamental school boy error in believing what Trump and Musk are saying today. They could easily turn round tomorrow and threaten to invade us.
How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.
It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.
Yet another case of a court working backwards from its conclusions.
The most result of this is likely to be it becoming much harder to fill warehouse jobs - I'd rather do a shopfloor job for the same money and it isn't close.
I’m staggered by this. If the shop floor workers want more money they can get a job in the warehouse. Why don’t they? How the feck is this sexual discrimination? And people wonder why there is a backlash.
This is exactly the sort of case that sank Birmingham City Council. And I've no idea how equivalence is established between very different job roles either, but I'm not an employment lawyer!
There used to be a thing called Hay Job Evaluation. Don't know if it is still used.
I'm a qualified Hay evaluator. It was used in ICI long ago.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Is that not the Yank version?
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
When I learned it (mid-late 80s), that one was the first verse and the second verse was:
A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King
Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
There's actually a Grade II listed former Little Chef at Markham Moor near Retford on the A1, which has a roof which is a HYPERBOLIC PARABOLOID.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
As one of those unfortunate types (I know, I know, we're a rare breed on this forum) who definitely have to watch their pennies when going to the pub, the 'double breakfast' whereby one can order two whole Wetherspoon's breakfasts and not have to chop off one's own toenails for sale on the black market in recompense pleases me greatly.
Easy to be sniffy at Spoons. Nothing wrong with it. The beer is decent and doesn't cost the earth. The food is fine for what it is.
Plenty of remainers knock Spoons for no better reason than they don't like the owner.
The young people love Spoons. Once my daughter turned 18 she practically lived at the Brockley Barge.
There was I time I also frequented the Barge. Back then it was just about the only pub in the area where you didn’t get stared at when you walked in. Didn’t realise it is now a youth hang out though.
And you are wrong on McDonald’s. It’s excellent. Knocks spots off KFC, BK, Morley’s, even Pizza Hut (to which I’m a bit partial). So much so that last weekend I bought some chuck steak, got it minced, and am going to do a snackmasters-style attempt with my daughter (who’s a big McD fan) to perfectly replicate a McDonald’s cheeseburger. Complete with tiny slivers of iceberg lettuce, microwaved (it works) tiny chopped onions, gherkin, the works.
Pizza Hut?!
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Is that not the Yank version?
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
Then British children were singing the Yank version 30 years ago when I was a child.
When I learned it (mid-late 80s), that one was the first verse and the second verse was:
A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King
Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
Wait, hang on, Little Chef has gone? The number of times I stop at services and never noticed. That’s quite sad. I must have just stopped going…
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.
It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.
We seem to have ended up with UK courts trying to apply a Marxist labour theory of value to the UK economy.
Probably not what the framers of the original laws intended, but it does seem to be the inevitable outcome. Whether Labour is capable of recognising the damage this could do if left to run unchecked remains to be seen - I doubt it somehow, they’ll be hoping to muddle through & not have to do anything as divisive as repeal the Equality Act.
Likely outcome: large companies are going to split off different parts of their operations into separate subsidiaries in order to prevent the UK courts making these kind of comparisons retrospectively & at great expense.
How on earth can a court rule that two jobs that are very different should be paid the same just because one is mostly occupied by men and the other mostly by women?
Make courts the arbiter of various vaguely defined duties or rights and anything is possible. Indeed, courts seems necessary to the process if you set things up that way.
It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.
Yet another case of a court working backwards from its conclusions.
The most result of this is likely to be it becoming much harder to fill warehouse jobs - I'd rather do a shopfloor job for the same money and it isn't close.
Not so sure. You don't have to deal with customers in a warehouse.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
(4) worked for England v Scotland in 1707. That, and mass bribery of the lairds.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
(4) worked for England v Scotland in 1707. That, and mass bribery of the lairds.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
One of the problems Trump has is that Central America is not dirt poor any more, and won't be pushed around so easily.
Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
One of the problems Trump has is that Central America is not dirt poor any more, and won't be pushed around so easily.
Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
Trump's tariffs are purely a negotiating ploy. He cos-plays a madman enamoured of tariffs to get the "deals" he wants with these threats. Mexico just caved. I have no idea what he wants out of Canada
Nor does Canada.
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
One of the problems Trump has is that Central America is not dirt poor any more, and won't be pushed around so easily.
Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
The future is Mexican.
Only through the cross border trade with the US.
It's been noticed before, in the Drug War, that whenever the NAFTA deal gets into focus, Mexico City jumps.
That's because the people who run the country, behind the scenes, make far more money of the border factories, than the drug cartels try to bribe them with.
@ElonMusk has a West Wing office, and is in the White House on an irregular basis, at times with his young son Lil X tagging along, sources told @weijia and me last week. As a special govt employee, he has credentials, including a PIV, or Personal Identity Verification card -- a badge federal employees are issued with their photo and agency. It's used at US Secret Service screening points as well as to log onto federal govt computers.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
I think you could well be right: Trump sees himself as extending the borders of the US to encompass Canada and Greenland.
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
"We don't need them for energy" - Trump
See Sky's Ed Conway for a complete take down of that bollocks.
Comments
Which makes the whole thing a bit weird.
And you know what... Irrespective of whether tariffs are removed, American goods are going to be a bit less popular in Canada than they were.
The party’s fundraising chief, is said to have scuppered the proposal, due to have been announced while it was in opposition
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/starmer-received-4m-cayman-hedge-fund-dropping-ban-on-foreign-donors-7vp0mdlv8 (£££)
Plus events can easily spiral out of control when things get so emotive.
And finally, it may be Trump is a secret genius and he acts crazy as a tactic, but it is a bit too ubiquitous and in line with his overall personality for me to think that is very plausible. It seems more likely that he means what he says, even though he frequently gets confused and contradictory on policy detail.
Trump on what Trudeau could offer him to change his mind on tariffs: "What I'd like to see -- Canada become our 51st state."
People are trying themselves in knots trying to read between the lines as to what Trump wants. It may be more effective to just read the lines.
A Pizza Hut, a Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
McDonald's, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Pizza Hut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOC9d17vASc&t=64s
Tom Larkin
@TomLarkinSky
🚨 Reform UK take the lead for the first time in new YouGov poll.
Reform: 25% (+2)
Lab: 24% (-3)
Con: 21% (-1)
LD: 14% (nc)
Green: 9% (nc)
Poll also shows Nigel Farage's personal ratings ahead of Starmer + Badenoch.
At the age of fifteen Doug and Dinsdale started attending the Ernest Pythagoras Primary School in Clerkenwell. When the Piranhas left school they were called up but were found by an Army Board to be too unstable even for National Service.
Denied the opportunity to use their talents in the service of their country, they began to operate what they called 'The Operation'... They would select a victim and then threaten to beat him up if he paid the so-called protection money.
Four months later they started another operation which the called 'The Other Operation'. In this racket they selected another victim and threatened not to beat him up if he didn't pay them.
One month later they hit upon 'The Other Other Operation'. In this the victim was threatened that if he didn't pay them, they would beat him up. This for the Piranha brothers was the turning point.
The voice coach was described as a key worker, which makes it legal, and Starmer is a lawyer and not a politician so that is all that matters, but as we saw with Partygate and Kormagate, he probably has a point.
It's within the rules so he can't be brought down by procedural means. The parliamentary arithmetic means the Opposition can't touch him. It is hard to see it taking off with the public because nothing else has.
The Times' new story about Lord Alli (posted earlier) is more interesting if it becomes a slow burner (and on the back of earlier freebies and the solar farm guy).
The right is 0.88 and the left 1.04 on the bloc disintegration ratio. Remember, 0.66 or less is the bloc event horizon.
What we are witnessing is high school bully tactics playing themselves out on the global political stage.
But pretty terrifying for the Conservatives.
(The other curiosity is that the Nigel hasn't really been in the news recently, though the Donald has. Are they seen as interchangeable in the public mind?)
They built a whole farm of them next to his golf course.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-47400641
And people wonder why there is a backlash.
The British one has Happy Eater in it.
Millions of small businesses in JD Vance- ville , USA, are supported.
This 'aint gonna end well for GOP in 2026.
If there is a 2026 election.
Trump is sitting at the front of the DLR with a toy steering wheel...
He wants to go down in history at achieving this.
There are, however, a couple of small issues with this:
(1) If Canada were to agree to join, then it would fundamentally alter US electoral geography - the US would move very significantly to the Left. Something definitely not envisaged by the Project 2025 crowd.
(2) Quebec: they barely want to be part of Canada, would they want to be part of the US?
(3) There's no way that Canada would want to come as one State: Ontario alone has 16 million people, which would put them 4th after California, Texas and Florida. Quebec's 9 million would put them in the top half of States by size. BC and Alberta aren't tiny either. So, you would probably be talking about probably eight states, of which five would be left wing - and that's assuming that Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba were all separate (right wing) states.
(4) Has anyone even done an opinion poll on this? Plus (and this is quite important), is the best way to get someone to agree to marry you to threaten them with starvation if they don't agree on the union? It certainly wasn't the way I wooed my wife, but other PBers may have a different opinion.
I just cannot believe that Cummings isn't involved somehow here.
It's an "overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union".
I am not sure what that means.
Good luck with getting Canada in the CAP.
Canadians - 77% against, 6% don't know, 15% for
USA - 42% against, 22% don't know 36% for
Think Trumpism couldn’t take root and flourish in Britain? Think again
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/02/donald-trump-trumpism-britain-amazon-warehouse-staffordshire-strongman-leader
So you're saying there's a chance?
Looks like a stand-off to me.
See Sky's Ed Conway for a complete take down of that bollocks.
Heavy oil vs light oil.
There have been two other withdrawals, one of which is also very close to Canada: Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Saint Barthélemy.
Cash savers don’t deserve tax breaks https://search.app/Sk32Lpn3h6D2Byqy6
Polling on both Canada and Greenland, revealing largely predictable results.
It all seems rather arbitrary to me, but maybe there is some sense in the detail, IDK, though determining different jobs to be equal 'value' seems like it'd end up with every role from CEO downwards to have equal 'value'. The law has been going a long time on these issues so I assume there's something to it.
Here's one take on the anti-side.
https://nitter.poast.org/allopatrol/status/1886457358316134476#m
A Burger King, a Burger King, a Little Chef and a Burger King
Happy Eater, Happy Eater, a Little Chef and a Burger King
Of course, Little Chef and Happy Eater are no longer with us. LC's owner bought HE's owner in the mid 90s and converted all HEs to LC, but that was the beginning of the end - LC was a shadow of its former self by the mid Noughties and all gone by 2018.
My cousin the music teacher in a primary school used to sing it at me in the early 1990s to wind me up.
I am currently getting my revenge via reference to her tautological dog the ShihT-Poo.
Nothing else, at the end of the day, will matter.
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
·
3h
At this rate of achievement, not only should President @realDonaldTrump
be on Mount Rushmore, I want to personally work the chisel!
The most result of this is likely to be it becoming much harder to fill warehouse jobs - I'd rather do a shopfloor job for the same money and it isn't close.
Sigh…
One percent chance but it’s been that sort of a decade hasn’t it?
I did joke about Mount Rushmore yesterday, but I think Trump would genuinely like that, though he'd probably want it to be solo, and larger.
Like this Futurama joke
It's now a coffee shack.
Auto Shenanigans covered it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t37SlUVM_28
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markham_Moor
Might even let the Canadians vote. Less sure about the Yanks.
Hint - bulk mixing with harbour water is not awesome.
Probably not what the framers of the original laws intended, but it does seem to be the inevitable outcome. Whether Labour is capable of recognising the damage this could do if left to run unchecked remains to be seen - I doubt it somehow, they’ll be hoping to muddle through & not have to do anything as divisive as repeal the Equality Act.
Likely outcome: large companies are going to split off different parts of their operations into separate subsidiaries in order to prevent the UK courts making these kind of comparisons retrospectively & at great expense.
Three things that are all true:
1) What Trump and Musk are doing is an unprecedented, authoritarian power grab
2) Their methods are slapdash and hamfisted because they lack the muscle to act legislatively
3) If the courts choose not to enforce the law, 2) won't matter — and 1) will succeed
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/feb/03/astrazeneca-speke-expansion-chris-brtant-investment
Bryant is a decent Parliamentarian, but Science Minister ? Please.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886501169154957587
r/WhitePeopleTwitter is now calling for the public execution of the DOGE software developers
Mexico's GDP is only about 10% less than Russia's, and both Mexico and Panama are around world average for Per Cap GDP.
It's been noticed before, in the Drug War, that whenever the NAFTA deal gets into focus, Mexico City jumps.
That's because the people who run the country, behind the scenes, make far more money of the border factories, than the drug cartels try to bribe them with.
@ElonMusk has a West Wing office, and is in the White House on an irregular basis, at times with his young son Lil X tagging along, sources told @weijia and me last week.
As a special govt employee, he has credentials, including a PIV, or Personal Identity Verification card -- a badge federal employees are issued with their photo and agency. It's used at US Secret Service screening points as well as to log onto federal govt computers.